Present Era - 0 P.D. to 926 P.D.
THEORETICAL TECHNOLOGIES
Physical Science
- Astronomy - Naked eye observations produce a basic understanding of the motion of the planets (and stars) within the system. Allows for the prediction of seasons and the beginnings of crude navigation.
- Engineering by estimate - Ability to perform engineering marvels based upon previous constructions and rule of thumb estimates.
- Systematic experimentation
- Telescopes - Enhancing the naked eye astronomy with more detailed analysis of the sky, and objects on the world.
- Navigation - The ability to determine location on the world.
- Chemistry - Understanding of how chemical reactions take place and the ability to repeat them. This leads to development of new mixtures like Gunpowder, fertilizers, and distillation of medicines.
Material Science / Manufacturing
- Metal working
- Quarried stone
- Glass
- Cement
- Concrete
- Wheels and Axle - the ability to mount a rotating wheel on an axle for transportation and energy capture.
- Hard steel - Chemistry and the understanding of metallurgy
- Cast Iron - The construction of large forges for melting and processing metals at an industrial scale.
Biological Science
- Selective breeding
- Crop Irrigation
- Microorganisms - The other side of telescopes, microscopes allow leaning of microorganisms and the cellular structure of creatures.
Cultural Science
- Settlements, Cities, Irrigation, Canals
- First coins for use as money
- Nation
- Cities - The availability of food and transportation of the same allows for the congregation of a high density of people and still have them being fed.
- Literacy - The development of the printing press to produce reading material drives the need to learn to read the new material.
QUALITY OF LIFE TECHNOLOGY
Energy
- Water wheels, Windmills - The ability to harness the motion of natural phenomena for useful work. Connection to working environment is via a direct mechanical linkage to simple fixed machines.
- Wood and Charcoal - The use of natural source of fire in a forge or kiln to produce the high temperatures required for metal forging.
- Energy Storage - The ability to use springs and torsion devices to store energy for periods of time. Clockwork mechanisms to release the energy in a controlled manner.
Information
- Abacus
- Practical mathematics
- Advanced Mathematics - Understanding of calculus.
Communications
- Writing, Paper - information can now be stored and transmitted to others over both a long distance and reviewed at another time.
- Movable type printing press - Driving widespread literacy
Medicine / Life sciences
- Basic Diagnosis
- Internal anatomy - Knowledge of what each organ of the body does and how injury affects the over all creature. Applies to both the NIL and to native creatures.
Environment
- Settlements, Cities, Irrigation, Canals
- Advanced agriculture - Use of crop rotation and fertilizers to generate ever increasing yields.
TRANSPORTATION TECHNOLOGY
Land transportation
- Domesticated animals - used for transportation as riding beasts
- Wheel - The ability to construct wagons drawn by beasts or people.
- Advanced wheels - Use of metal rims to improve durability of the wheels and ability to traverse terrain.
Water
- Shipbuilding - Rowed galley and basic sailing vessels dominate the shorelines of waterways. The building of canals to improve the use of boats between settlements.
- Ocean going ships - large sailing ships capable of handling most of the environmental threats of an ocean.
Air
- Kites - For ground based creatures the first attempts to understand aerodynamics and how to lift a person into the sky.
MILITARY TECHNOLOGY Lesser cultures: Warfare has developed to have formalized warfare and conflict, with rank structures, standard tactics and so on, though these are not usually sophisticated. Normal conflicts involved throwing masses of armed men at each other until one side became demoralized and retreated. Battlefield communications were negligible and allowed only the simplest of changes to a battle plan once the fighting started. Naval combat involves primitive sail or man-powered vessels, using small siege engines, rams and boarding actions as the means of capturing or destroying enemy vessels. In greater cultures: Warfare has developed into an art or serious lifetime profession, with scholars and useful treatises on tactics and strategy. Combat usually involves poor to average trained men on foot and elites riding on some form of animal to provide greater mobility, height advantage or armour carrying capacity. Typically, the latter forces are restricted to wealthy or high-status individuals due to the expense of equipment and support staff. Until large gunpowder weapons become available, stone fortifications can withstand these forces until the besieged run out of food or water, fall afoul of disease from overcrowding or succumb to treachery from within. Naval combat involves large wooden sailing vessels carrying crude gunpowder artillery. Ships are fired upon until they are so full of holes that they sink, or until the enemy crew complement is reduced enough to make boarding practical.
Weapons Technology
- Metal weapons - Swords and pole arms made of Bronze or Iron
- Metal armour - The natural elements (Leather, wood) give way to metal re-enforced armours, and full metal armour
- Catapults - Simple mechanical arm to throw rock or other missiles
- Gunpowder weapons - hand guns, rifles, and cannon cast of bronze or iron using low powered explosives to hurl shells made of stone, lead, or iron.
